CH 5.4

Junior’s Invasion. (Part 4)

“I’ve heard about you, Mise-senpai, but I didn’t know you also worked part time here.”

“I’m still a novice though.”

Compared to me, Mise-san is amazing. She knows everything, and no matter how busy she is, she always manages to get the job done without making a mistake.

“Senpai, you are really naive.”

“What?”

“She is like a worshiper of you, senpai, or like she has this unparalleled respect for ‘senpai’ so as to say.”

It might be.

“But I think it’s normal to respect people who are better than you.”

“I think it’s good that you can honestly feel that way.”

When I cut off her words there, Homma said so.

“I think you’ll make them miss you if you talk to them too much.”

“To miss them, how do I say it, but I feel like you are pining for me.”

“N-No!”

Homma, looking unusually flustered, shook her head.

“Why?”

“You might gave me the wrong idea!”

“Wrong idea?”

“Mou~ You’re a clueless person.”

Homma shook her head, as if dumbfounded.

“You know, I don’t think you are aware of it, but you are very kind. Mise-san might take it as a favor to her, don’t you think?”

Homma said that she might have feelings that go beyond the boundaries of friendship.

Favoritism is indeed present. It’s not romantic love, of course. She often helps me out at my part-time job, she is kind, and when she is free, she is my chatting partner.

Mise-san is a good senpai.

It would be inevitable to have good feelings toward such a person.

“Don’t let her get the wrong idea.”

I don’t think she thinks like that.

“I think you just have too much of a romantic brain, Honma.”

“Huhhhhhhhhhh…”

She let out a huge sign and looked at me.

“Because I can see a person who doesn’t realize it… Mouu”

My bad, I wasn’t aware of that.

If she knew Mise-san’s character, she would know it wouldn’t come to that.

I glanced behind me and saw Mise-san was still following me at a distance.

In this direction, there is a station. Perhaps she was going home by train.

Talking about the manager and other part-timers, we came to a crossroad to the station.

”Mise-san, are you headed for the station?”

She nodded repeatedly in small steps, perhaps startled by being suddenly spoken to.

In a little bit, she would be able to see the station building and the street would become brighter and brighter, so she would be fine on her own.

I guess she always went home alone on that road…

“Well, we’re heading this way, then.”

“Ahh, hmm, okay. Good night.”

“Good night. See you at school tomorrow.”

Mise-san’s face lit up as she nodded and waved her hand.

“Let’s go, senpai.”

Homma also gave a small nod and asked me to tag along with her.

I asked her if she wanted to ride on the back of my bicycle, since it wasn’t crowded.

“That’s a veerryyyyyyyyyy tempting offer, but sorry.”

“You’re surprisingly earnest.”

“I don’t mean the rules of the road, but I’ll be home soon .”

“Right.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Honma’s arms were entwined around me as my hands were occupied with the handlebars.

“Even though no one’s here… you know…”

“During school and committee meetings, there is this scary guard with a cold attitude that is hard to break through, so why not at a time like this?”

Scary guard… Does she mean Hinagata? I don’t know if she’s a guard or not, but the fact that she has a cold attitude is what hit the nail on the head.

“It’s not every day you get something all to yourself, you know?”

Homma stared straight at me with an upturned gaze.

“Having it all to yourself…”

I don’t usually intend to be exclusive only to Hinagata.

All right, I had to surrender.

“Ah. I can see it now. That’s my house.”

She pointed to a section of a residential area, but I could only vaguely make it out, partly because it was dark.

She said that her parents were waiting for her to come home today and that they were opposed to her starting a part-time job because of the curfew.

I heard that the Honma family is surprisingly well-mannered.

Homma stopped in front of a Western-style house with a few lights on, opened the elegant small outer gate, and went inside.

“You can come if you want?”

“I don’t want to bother your family.”

“Oyaa, you’re so polite.”

She pouted her lips.

“Senpai, now you know one thing about me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t come here often.”

With a sarcastic smile, I climbed on the bicycle.

“Is it fine, if I come to your house? Senpai?”

“It would be trouble if you come suddenly, but why?”

“Sometimes I feel like I need to talk to you when I’m happy or sad or joyful.”

“You can call or message me anytime.”

I don’t think it’s necessary to talk face to face.

“mouu, that’s not what I meant.”

Honma stuck out her tongue.

I must have said something really out of line.

“Hurry up and go to your house. They would get mad if you were late, right?”

“Ahh- That’s terrible! Towards your cute kouhai!”

Honma got angry, as if she thought I was trying to get rid of her.

I could tell she wasn’t really mad, so my apology was also light.

“My bad. Well I’ll go home too before it’s too late.”

See you later, I said as I started pedaling my bicycle.

When I got home,I checked my cell phone and found that Homma had sent me a stamp with a rabbit kissing. Judging by the time it was received, it seemed to have been sent right after we parted.